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Democracy in Russia is supposed to legitimise the ruling elite, at most test it. Since 2001, the president and the United Russia party have had little trouble beating their handpicked sparring partners.

But that political monopoly is now showing cracks, as Russia scrambles to find money for new infrastructure and the replenishment of financial reserves. Since last summer the government has increased VAT, raised the pension age, and slapped new taxes on the self-employed.  

The hike in the retirement age proved particularly toxic. Following the reform, the government, the United Russia party and even the presidency saw their approval ratings collapse to the lowest level since 2011-13, when Russia had its largest protests since the fall of the USSR.

It's not just the polls. Last autumn United Russia candidates suffered setbacks at the local elections held in a third of the country's regions. The ruling party lost four governor races to candidates from the left-wing Communist Party and the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR). Both act as nominal opposition yet demonstrate loyalty to Putin, who is officially an independent but maintains links to the United Russia.

But while voters back the Communists or LDPR to punish United Russia, many of them don't see those parties as trustworthy mediators. Some 42% of Russians say no party speaks for their interests; 41% declared their wish for a new socialist party. More than a half opted for establishing a new centrist (28%) or a liberal (34%) party.

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